Apparatus for combining materials



Nov. 16, 1943. ETTL APPARATUS FOR COMBINING MATERIALS Filed June 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR TTORNEYS Nov. 16, 1943. J, ETTL 2,334,485

APPARATUS FOR COMBINING MATERIALS Fi'led June 14, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 JNVENTOR 7 KQ4MLMW- ATToRNEYs Patented Nov. 16, 1943 UNITED STA'l'ES PATENT OFFICE" APPARATUS FOR 2,334,485 j corrnnvnvo MATERIALS Joseph Ettl, Highlanda'N. 3., assignor to Potdevin Machine Company, Brooklyn, N. Y., a

corporation oi. New York Application June 14, 1940, Serial No, 340,461

This invention is directed to an improvement in combining machines, that is, to machines making laminated materials, for example, where it is desired to combine transparent or semitransparent sheets or webs with opaque sheets or webs. The combining sheet may be a. material which becomes plastic and sticky upon heating, or it may have had a coating of a'suitable adb oyed for book covers.

hesive previously applied to it which becomes tacky on the application of heat. 7

My machine is constructed and arranged to apply a combining sheet-to either or both sides of the base material. The latter may be in the form of a. sheet or of a web, and may bepaper, cardboard, wood, etc. The combining sheet, as above mentioned, may be precemented or may become sticky when heated, or the base material may be precemented.

On the other hand, two co'mbining sheets may I be laminated or combined directly without any intermediate base sheet or web.

Again mymachine is adapted to produce a laminated material composed of two sheets orwebs of the base materials above mentioned with an intervening sheet or web 'of combiningmar terial which, of course, may be cemented on its face or may be simply a material which becomes plastic and sticky when heated. V

In its simplest form my improved machine comprises three rollers arranged one above the other, the upper and lower rollers being geared 14 Claims. '(Cl. 154-37) The creepage produces fine hair-like lines in the film, bubbles, etc.

My machine, however, inherently overcomes these diflloulties. As above noted. I provide a hard roller at each side of a resilient roller, the

hard rollers being geared together one-to-one so that they must travel at the same peripheral speed, while the resilient roller is driven by the pressure of the other two, and hence necessarily has the same peripheral speed as they have.

,Chilling rollers areprovided at each side of the machine for chilling the material as it enters and as it leaves the machine. The chilling rollers at the feed side of the machine are placed as near as possible to the combining rollers, and their primary function is to prevent distortion and elongation of the combining materialgas it moves into proximity to the heated combining roller. Such, distortion, it will be appreciated, is likely to produce fine wrinkles extending'generally lengthwise of the work. The

chilling rollers at the discharge side of the machine quickly cool the material after it has passed together so as to run at the same surface speed,

the intermediate roller beingfrictionally driven by the other two.

The upper and lower rollers are of steel, for example, and either or, both may be heated, depending upon the type of work beingrun on the machine; The intermediate roller is faced with rubber or other'sultable resilient material.

I am aware that it has been suggested prior to this invention to combine sheets or webs by runthe combining rollers, to prevent distortion after laminatingor combining and loosening of the combined materials.

Among other novel features of the machine which may be mentioned at this point is the lubricating means which I provide for the upper and lower presser rollers. This lubricant which may take the form or a high temperature oil has several functions. It keeps the combining rollers clean and bright and unscored, and at V the same time it provides for preventing sticking of the web or sheet to the adjacent roller and tearing away oithe-combining sheet from the base material. .It also eliminates the necesning the same between two rollers, one of which e is a hard roller, the other resilient.

In such a machine, however, owing to the fact that the face of one roller is resilient'it is, not possible to avoid changing diameters with the result that the surface speed of one roller is not precisely the same as that of the other. This causes a differential in the relative speeds of the two materials being combined, resulting in creepage and of course an unsatisfactory finished roduct. This effect is very pronounced when the combining sheet is simply a transparent film but a few thousandths thick. For'example, the transparent film-like materials which are emsity of reversing temperatures in the combining rollers as' is done in platen machines wherein materials are combined between two heated platens, the platens then being cooled before they are separated moved.

In'the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated my invention: 7

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a part sectional end view; Fig, 3: is a cross sectional view through the combining rollers and associated cooling or chillins rollers;

Fig. 4 is a view taken .on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig, 5 shows part of an article adapted to be produced by my invention; and

and the combined materials re-" N i I f Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail: 2 and 4 designate the upper and lower rollers, respectively, and 6 the intermediate roller of my improved machine. For clarity of description the rollers 2, 4 and 8 will'be referred to as combining rollers. V g g e In theembodiment of my invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, for instance, the combining is connected -to suitable control mechanism 84 simply illustrated in general in Fig. 1 whereby the circuit to the cartridge heaters will be closed and opened automatically.

As pointed out at the beginning of this description, chill rollers are provided at the loading and discharge side of the machine so that the materials being combined can-be chilled as they enter the machine and astheylleave it..

rollers 2 and 4 are hard surfaced, steel, for ex-...

ample. The lower roller 4 is heated as, ,for. ex-

ample, by electric cartridge heatersll. The intermediate combining roller. 6 may have'ga steel core, but it is faced .with rubber ill or other re silient material. As will be seen from Fig. 2, for example, the lower roller 4 is mounted for rotatidnin fixed bearings 12 in the side frames [4 of the machine. The bearings l8 and I8 of the. intermediate roller 6 and upper roller 2, respectively, are vertically adjustable not only with respect to each other but with respect to the lower roller.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 the'bearin'gs- "for the intermediate combining. roller 8 are carried in With reference to Fig. l, the chill rollers are designated 86 and may conveniently be chilled by flowing water therethrough. It is to be noted that these rollers are placed in close proximity to the-heated roller 4 at each side thereof, so as to preventelongation and distortion of the combining fllmfrom the heat of the roller 4.

I have found it advantageous to lubricate the heated roller 4'. This keeps the surface of the roller 4 clean and bright at all times so as to preblocks suspended by plates 24 from the'blocks f 22 carrying the bearings l8'of the upper combining roller 2. These plates are slotted, as

seen at 26, so as, to vary the spacing between the 'the pistons or beneath the pistons, as desired. The purpose of this arrangement, aswill be understood, is to provide for the proper regulation of the pressure between the combining rollers 2', 6 and 4.

As was stated at the outset of this description, the combining rollers 2 and 4 are geared together one-to-one so as not only to be positivelydriven" but at the same peripheral speed, the rollers being of the same diameter. is frictionally driven by the rollers 2 and 4. In

vent scoring or otherwise marring the combining material and also prevents the'material passing through the machine from sticking'to the-roller and tearing itself away from the base material. By eliminating this last inentioned'difliculty it 'Willbe' apparent that the-roller 4 may be kept heated at all 'times without the necessity of intermittently heating and cooling.

-In Fig. 1 I show a tank which contains any suitable lubricating material as, for example, a high temperature oil. Partially immersed in this lubricating material is a roller 90 positively driven 'throughshaft 82 which carries the gear 18 and s'procketchain 94.-

Geared to'the roller 90 are transfer roller 98 and roller 98, the roller 98 contacting the lower combining roller 4. The roller 88 is provided on its surface'with a brush I00. Thisbrush, as will be seen from Fig. 4, is preferably in the nature of a relatively narrow rubber or felt strip wound helically about the roller 98. The purpose of providingthis construction is to provide for polishing the roller 4 so that I not only obtain the application of a lubricant to the roller 4 but I also maintain'the surface of the same clean and bright. This is quite important'in connection with'the combining of materials such as Cellophane,-the slightest scoring of the roller surface 'or the presence of foreign material 'on the surface of the roller 4 marring the surface of the The intermediate roller 6 I Cellophane and spoiling the work. The tank 88 together with the rollers 90, 96 and-88 is bodily adjustable by adjusting screw 88 to adjust the this connection it will be noted that the shaft 48 carrying the roller 2 and the shaft 48 carrying the roller' 4 are provided with gears 50. These gears mesh with gears 52 on stub shafts 54 carrying sprockets 56 equipped with sprocket chain 58.

The main drive for the machine is taken off the drive pulley 60. The shaft 62 carrying this pulley is provided with a sprocket 64 driving a sprocket chain 68 which in turn drives sprocket '68. The shaft Ill carrying the sprocket 68"carriesa' gear l2 meshing with gear 14 to drive gear'l'i on the pressure of the brush upon the surface of the roller 4.

When it is desired to combine, for example, a web of paper with a transparent layer, the paper webmay be taken from any suitable source of supply and the transparent layer may be taken,

same shaft with 14. The gear 15 meshes with.

the gear 50 on the shaft 48 carrying the lower roller 4, this gear meshing with the gear 52 already referred to which is on the shaft 54 carrying the sprocket 56. r

As above mentioned the lower combining roller 4 is heated, for example, by electric cartridge heaters 8. The slip rings for these heaters are dsignated 80. The circuit for these cartridge heaters is controlled by a suitable thermostat 82 which, as illustrated, is in the form of a shoe adapted to contact the surface of the roller 4 and for example, from supply roll 102. The two materials are brought together at the chill roll 88 which is in close'jproximity to the presser rollers 6 and 4 so that distortion of the combining material from the heat of roller 4is avoided. It will be understood that the rollers '2 and B have previously been adjusted for the proper pressure upon the work. Thereforejas the'two materials in superimposed relation pass between the combining rollers 6 and 4' they will be united and passing over the chill roller 88 be discharged from the machine to wind-up reel I04, for' example'. This reel is driven through sprocket chain I05. The

chill roller 88 protects the combining material from being distorted due to the heat of the roller 4. It is to be understood that where a film and sheet material are to be combined, as distinguished from two webs, the film ortransparent material may'betaken frhmthe supply roller I02,

feed'table I-06' meeting thefilrn at the-chilled roller 86 at the entrance side of the mac ine. In this case the combined material may be discharged "heated 'combiningroller with the second men- I tion'ed material in'c'ontact'with the heated roller. as before, the sheet material bein'gfed a-longtlie to any suitable conveyor which will' take it out of the machine completely. I v r In some cases it may be" desired to apply a; transparent material, for example, to each side of a Web or Of a sheet to provide'the article illllS- trated' in Fig; 5 'wh'ich'eventfthesheet" or the Web I08 may be fed along, the table I06; Thefill'n 2. A machine for. combining a, base, material and a material which'becomes'jtacky upon heating, said machine comprising" in combination upper and'lowe'r combining'rollers geared togetherfor positive drive at identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate rubbercovered combinin'g roller frictionallyldriven by the said upper. and lower rollers, heating meansfor one of the first mentioned-combining rollers, and means for which is to be applied to" the underside or the' ma- I terial I08'may be taken fromithe suppiy; ro l-162'. The upper web of material H may betaken-fr'om supply roll 2'. Theoperation is-quite obvious from the drawings, the three materials passing passingthematerials to be combined between therubber covered roller andthe' said heated roller with the second mentioned material in contact with the-heated roller;

3 A machine for combining a base material and a materialwhich' becomes tacky upon heatjing; said' machine comprising in combination between the rollers" 5 and 4 in superimposed relation with the sheet or theweb II 08' intermediate. the two transparent sheets; the material-after discharging from the machine being wound upon the rewind reel I 04. In all cases I provide presser rollers H4 and H6 at the exit side of themathese presser rollers before-being discharged from the machine or before being wound up on: the rewind reel I04. i

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated another embodiment of my invention where theamount of work that can be turned out on one machine is-increased. Referring to' Fig; 6, it will b'e'seen' that material from the supply roll I02 and the supply 'roll I I! may becbmbineda-s explained in connection with Fig. I and rewoundon the rolleror reel I04 or the material fromthe supply rolls I02 and I I2 may be combined with a'web or sheet passing along the feed table I06 and rewoundon the'reelsired. At the same time Iniaytake material g "intermediate roller being bodily adjustable toward chine and the finished material passes between upper and lower-hard surfaced combiningrollers seare together forpositive driveat identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate resilient surfaced combining'roller frictionallydriven by the 'said upper and'lower rollers, the upper r'ollerand andfaway'irom each other, means for heating one.

of the first mentioned combining rollers, and means forpassingthe materials to be combined, between the 'intermediatelroller and theheated' roller with the secondmentioned material'in contat'withf the heated roller.

4. a machine for combining a'fbase eterin and a material which becomes tacky upon heatin'g', said machine comprising in combination upper and lower hard surfaced combiningrollers geared together'for positive drive at identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate resilient surfaced cornbiningroller'frictionafllydriven by the said 7 I v I I 7 upper and lower rollers, floating'bearings for the I04 or discharged from the machine-just as derollers 2 and 6 along with material fromasupply roller I20. In this casethe roller lwillbehea-ted v and it will be, lubricated by mechanism similar to that described inconnection with Fig; 1 and the materials taken from I [Band- I 20after being combined are rewound on reel I22. This'material of course will pass through the machine in the opposite direction to the material, passing between the rollersiiand 4'. I I a As in theficase of the lower part of the machine, the' materials from the rollers I I8 and I20 may be combined directl'y'or with a sheet or web fed between them. 1

It will be appreciated from all of the foregoing that my invention provides-a machine for comto prior machines in the respects he'reinbefore referred to. 7

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement ofparts herein describedwithout departlngifrom u'pperfand'intermediate rollers; means for heating Jone" oi the first mentionedcombining rollers, and means for passing the materials to be combined between the intermediate roller and the heated rollerwith the second mentioned material in con- I tact with the heatedroller; 5'. A machine for combining a base material 7 and a material which becomes tacky upon heating, said machine comprising in combination upper and lower combining rollers geared to- 'gether for positive drive at identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate combining roller f11C- tionally driven by the said upper and lower rollers,

the first mentioned rollers; and means for passing a I the materials to be combined between the interbining materials whichis inherently far superior mediate roller and" the heated roller, with the heated roller.

' and-a material which becomestacky upon heating, said machine comprising in combination 6. A machine for combining a base material upper and lower combining rollers geared together for positive drive at identical peripheral and a material which becomestacky upon heating, said machine comprising in combination upper and lower hard surfaced combining rollers geared together for positive drive at identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate resilient surfaced friction combining roller fri'ctionally driven by the said upper and lower roller's, means for heating one of said first mentioned combining rollers, and 'mean'sfor passing the materials to be speeds, an intermediate combining roller frictionally driven by the said uppe r'andlower rollers,

with the'heated roller, and a chill roll in proxfiroityto the upper surface of the heated roller at terials to be combined just before they enter be combined between the friction roller and the 76 tween the intermediate and heated rollers.

7. A machine for combining a base material and a material which becomes tackyupon heating, said machine comprising in combination upper and lower combining rollers geared together for positive drive at identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate combining roller frictionally driven by the said upper and lower rollers, means for heating the said lower roller, means for passing the materials to be combined between the intermediate roller and said heated roller, with thesecond mentioned material in contact with the upper surfaceof the heated roller at the discharge side of the roller for chilling the combined materials just as they pass from between the intermediate and heated rollers.

8. A machine for combining a base material and a material which becomes tacky upon heating, said machine comprising in combination upper and lower combining rollers geared togetherior positive drive at identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate combining roller frictionally driven by the said upper and lower rollers,

. means for heating the said lower roller, means for passing the materials to be combined between the intermediate and heated rollers, with the second mentioned material in contact with theheated roller, and a chill rollin proximity to the upper l surfaceof the heated roller at the feed and discharge sides'of the roller whereby the mjaterials 'to be combined are chilled just before entering between the intermediate and heated rollers and the combined materials chilled just as they leave the said rollers. V

9. A machinefor combining a basematerial and a material which becomes tacky upon heating, which machine comprises in combination -upper and lower combining rollers geared together for positive drive at identical peripheral 1 speeds, an intermediate combining roller frictionally driven by theisaid upper and lower rollers, means for heating one of the first mentioned rollers, means for passing the materials to be combined, betweenthe'intermediate roller and the heated roller, with thesecond' mentioned material in contact with the heated roller, and means for lubricating the surface of the heated roller to prevent adhesion of the second mentioned material thereto. 7 g

10. A machine for combining a base material and a material which becomes tacky upon heating, which machine comprises in combination upper and lower combining rollers geared together for positive driveat identical peripheral speeds, an intermediate combining roller frictionally driven by the said upper andlower rollers, means for heating one of the first mentioned rollers, means for passing the materials to be combined between the intermediate vroller and the heated roller, with the second mentioned material in contact with th heated roller, and means comprising a helical brush for polishing and applying a lubricant to the surface'of the heated roller to prevent adhesion of the second mentioned material thereto.

11. A machine forcombining a base material and a material which becomes tacky upon heata ing, which machine comprises in combination a pair of metal combining rollers of the same diameter, a one-to-one gear train connecting the two rollers for positive drive at the same peripheral speed, an intermediate roller the surface of which is resilient, said intermediate roller being trictionally driven by the two first mentioned i the heated roller, and a chill roll in proximity to 7 rollers, floating bearings for one of the metal rollers, a gaseous medium for applying pressure to said floating bearings, means for heating one of said metal rollers, and means for passing the materials to be combined between said heated roller and the intermediate roller, with the second mentioned material in contact with the heated roller.

12. A machine of the class described, comprising in combination two metal combining rollers, an intermediate non-metallic combining roller frictionally driven by the metal rollers, a gear train connecting the metal rollers for positively driving the same at identical peripheral speeds, a roller for. carrying a web of base material, a roller for carrying a web of combining material which becomes tacky under heat, means for heating one of said metal rolls to heat the combining 7 material as it is fed between the non-metallic roller and the heated roller with thesaid combining material in contact with the heated roller,

a gaseous medium for imposing pressure on the v bearings of one of said rollers and said intermediate roller, and a chill roll adapted to be contacted by the combining material just prior to the entry of the same between the intermediate and the heated roller.

13. A machine of the class described, comprising in combination two metal combining rollers, an intermediate non-metallic combining roller frictionally driven by the metal rollers, a gear train connecting the metal rollers-for positively driving the same at identical peripheral speeds, a roller for carrying a web of base material, a roller for carrying a web of combining material which becomes tacky under heat, means for heating one of said metal rolls to heat the combining material as it is fed between the'non-r'netallic roller and the heated roller with the said combining material in contact with the heated roller,

a gaseous medium for imposing pressure on the bearings of one of said rollers and said intermediate roller, a chill roll adapted to be contacted by the combining material just prior to the entry of the same between the intermediate and the heated roller, and a chill roll adapted to be contacted by the combining material as the same passes from between the intermediate and the heated roller,

14. A machine'of the class described, comprising in combination two metal combining rollers, an intermediate non-metallic combining roller frictionally driven by the metal rollers, a gear train connecting the metal rollers for positively driving the same at identical peripheral speeds, a roller for carrying a web of base material, a roller for carrying a web of combining material which becomes tacky under heat, means for heating one of said metal rolls to heat the combining material as it is fed between the non-metallic roller and the heated roller with the combining material in contact with the heated roller, a gaseous medium for imposing pressure on the bearings of one of said rollers and said intermediate roller, a chill roll adapted to be contacted by the combining material just prior to. the entry'of the same between the intermediate and the heated roller, a chill roll adapted to be contacted by the combining material as the same passes from between the intermediate and the heated roller, and a pair of rollers for subjecting the combined material to additional pressure after it has left the last mentioned'chill roll.

JOSEPH ET'I'L. 

